


Truth and Lies

by Rodan427



Series: Power Rangers Ninjetti [2]
Category: Power Rangers
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 20:13:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8299264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodan427/pseuds/Rodan427
Summary: As night descends on Angel Grove, a greater shadow looms over the hearts and minds of the Ninjetti Rangers.  As most of them struggle with learning with the truth and its aftermath, Trini continues refusing to talk to or look at her friends, deepening their concern for her.  Questions abound and comfort seems distant.  Are the Rangers really a team?  How will the future unfold for them?  And what plans does the new Monarch of Evil have in store for them?  Find out today on Power Rangers:  Ninjetti!





	1. Driving Back

**Author's Note:**

> Rated for graphic material in Chapter 8.  
> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy!

Kimberly shifted in the driver’s seat for the seventeenth time since leaving Rocky and Adam’s Academy.  Yet no matter what she did, she could not ease the knots in her stomach nor vanquish the restlessness surging throughout her body.  She darted her eyes back at the rearview mirror just like she had every half a moment during the drive back to her house in order to check on Trini.

The newly christened yellow Ninjetti Ranger slumped in the backseat, held upright only by her seatbelt—a tangle of black hair veiling her face from view.

Kimberly’s heartbeat echoed distantly in her ear.  She glanced at Trini again in the rearview mirror.  _No change,_ she thought.  Then she stole a glance at Zack who was sitting in the passenger seat.  His eyes were frozen onto the road.  _How could he be so calm?_ Kimberly thought.

Zack had remained silent for the past eight and half minute drive.  Refusing to shift his gaze from the road, his face was frozen in concern, frustration, and agony.  If Jason had been under a spell, Zack could have forgiven him for the evening’s events.  But after hearing Sean and Billy’s story, and seeing Jason in action, Zack was replacing his compassion with anger.  Tommy had been forgiven immediately for almost killing Billy because he had been under some sort of mind control—perhaps a spell.  Jason was a different story.  In Zack’s mind, no human capable of being a power ranger would ever consent to becoming the next monarch of evil.  And yet Sean had told them that Jason was destined to become evil.  Playing Devil’s Advocate, Zack found that a little too convenient.  However, he did not disregard it either.  To be honest, he did not know what to think.  There were too many unanswered questions for him to make an opinion.

Although he was angry at Jason, he was more worried about Trini and the rest of his friends— especially Sean.  Being a personal athletic/weight trainer, Zack had worked with a variety of people with different breaking points.  And after seeing Sean go one-on-one with Jason, Zack knew that Sean was out of his and the other rangers’ league when it came to endurance and skill.  Not to mention the fact that he took out all of those Gargoyles with one attack.  _So why on earth was he so weak after that battle?_ Zack thought to himself.  _Surely Jason didn’t tire him out that much.  Maybe his powers are temporary like Tommy’s had been after the Green Candle._   Various suggestions such as these filtered in and out of his thoughts.

Meanwhile Kimberly struggled with her own thoughts.  Before today, Kimberly would have said that competing in the Global Pan games was the most nerve-racking experience of her life.  She was wrong.

In fact, if she had had the choice, Kimberly would have preferred being in the spotlight in front of the judges and an audience of over a hundred people than be in the position she was in now.  At least she had known what she was doing when she was at the Global Pan games.

Life was simpler then.  Kimberly was a full time gymnast, which she had devoted all of her life to.  She looked back on those days as the happiest of her life.  All of her friends had seen her, whether coming to the events or watching them on television.

And now she was a power ranger once more—yet she had been thrown into the fire before she had become one again.  As soon as the rangers had discovered that Jason was evil, the damage had begun.  Barely an hour ago she had been fighting minions that Jason had summoned with his own hands, seen Trini collapse with horror blazing from her face, and seen Tommy’s composure shatter.  The rangers were not battling just Lord Zedd and Rita.  Neither of them had caused this degree of emotional carnage in the four years they had fought against the power rangers.  _Well, except for when they made Tommy a power ranger, and when they stole my power coin,_ she thought with a mental shudder.  Of her memories as a power ranger, those were her worst.

She shook them from her mind.

The rangers’ true enemy now was Jason:  a human and an ex-ranger—not to mention Kimberly’s best friend and “big brother”—who had turned his back on every principle that he used to stand for.  Rita and Zedd were nothing but puppets, just like they had been when Dark Specter had been alive.  Though Sean had been adamant that he was not asking them to fight Jason, it was clear nevertheless that a fight with Jason was inevitable.  And Kimberly was not sure if she could handle that confrontation when it happened.

“Kim?” Zack asked softy.

“Hmm?” Kimberly said, surfacing from her thoughts as she met Zack’s gaze for a moment.

He hesitated at first, but was determined to break the agonizing silence.

“How are you?” he asked, struggling to the find a balance between concern and support for Kimberly.  Only one of them needed to break down at a time.  Of the original five Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, Zack and Kim were the ones closest to Jason.

“In pieces,” she sighed.  “You?”

“Hangin’ in there,” Zack replied, craning his neck around to look at Trini.  “I hate seeing her like this.”

“I do too,” Kimberly added under her breath, pulling into the light beige driveway of her double story Mexican stucco style house as the last beams of the sun from their left slipped down the walls and roof.

“Trini, we’re here,” Kimberly said, turning her head to Trini after the she had parked and shut off the car.

Trini refused to respond, absorbed by her thoughts.  Her black, almost elbow length haired veiled most of her face in a tangle of cobwebs.  Though she was staring at the carpeted floor, she saw nothing.  A fog obscured her vision—blending colors and shapes into a swirling puddle of images of exuberant joy and also of terror, pain, worry, and grief.

“Trini?” Zack asked, stretching his hand to part her bangs.  Behind them was a corpse of the woman with more inner courage, strength, and self-discipline than anyone else he knew.  A shudder leaped into his face before he could control himself.  Her complexion shook him to the core.  In the many years Zack had known Trini, he had never seen her like this.  _What_ _did Jason do to you?_ he thought, brushing her cheek with his fingers.  Again, she made no reaction.

Kimberly and Zack exchanged worried looks.

“Let’s get her inside,” Zack said, getting out of the car.  A thunder cloud loomed over the fields in the distance behind Kimberly’s house.  Living in Southern California, Zack and Kimberly rarely had thunderstorms.  It swelled as it inched towards them.  “That storm will be here soon.”

“I’m not worried about a storm,” Kimberly said, shifting her glance to Trini.

Zack pinned his eyes on her, his broad and toned body no longer feeling strong, as he guessed what else she was thinking.


	2. Rocky's Pain

Rocky hunched over the bathroom sink as still as a stone gargoyle, enveloped in a dissolving fog of hot steam, staring at his blurred reflection in the mirror.  A single cranberry towel was wrapped around his waist.

He had always taken pride in how well he took care of his body ever since he had injured his back.  “Image is everything in this day and age,” he used to say.  And he enjoyed being muscular, physically fit, and sexy; especially now since he had someone to be sexy for.  But tonight he could have cared less if he weighed 300lbs of fat instead of 193lbs of muscle.

His back ached slightly, but he did not care nor did he acknowledge it.  It was nothing compared to the abyss expanding in his chest and the confusion in his mind.  Less than two hours ago, he had witnessed Jason forsake Tommy’s friendship by declaring that he would murder Tommy if Tommy ever returned to the moon.  _How could the first red ranger on Earth ever say that to Tommy—his lifelong friend?_ he thought.  Even Adam had been struck dumb by the act.  Jason … Rocky’s idol … his predecessor … the man who had set the standard for all red rangers had made the ultimate betrayal by consciously joining Evil.

“Rocky?” Adam’s voice called softly from outside.

Rocky heard the distant voice, but did not answer.  He stood there oblivious to his towel sliding down centimeter by centimeter down his hips.  The thought of tugging his eyes from the mirror never entered his mind.

After a moment, Adam came in, wearing only a pair of boxers.  “You’ve been in here for almost an hour,” he added, stepping towards the rechristened red ranger and adjusting the towel.  “Talk to me,” he added, massaging Rocky’s shoulders.

Rocky did not answer, still staring into his reflection.  The image of Tommy crushing Billy’s windpipe blazed in his mind.  A spasm wiggled through his body.  Recovering, he looked away from Adam’s reflection.

“Hey,” Adam whispered, cupping Rocky’s chin with his thumb and index finger.  “What’s wrong?” he added, sliding Rocky’s mouth around.

Rocky gazed at the floor.

“Rocky?” Adam said, ducking his head an inch in order to glimpse the face he loved.

But Rocky shut his eyes.

Adam surveyed Rocky’s face, searching for a clue as to what was bothering Rocky.

_Please, don’t make me say it_ , Rocky pleaded.  But he knew that Adam was going to keep on questioning until Rocky answered.  Besides, had they not just experienced the consequences of three people’s secrets?  Knowing he would feel better later, Rocky reluctantly pulled his eyelids open.

“Sorry, it’s just everything that happened this evening,” Rocky said in a voice of determined calm and clarity, returning his gaze to the mirror.  “Trini freaking out like that… Tommy’s fury… Jason forcing Tommy to kill Billy …” He stared at Adam with anxiety.  “It’s a lot to take in.”

“I know,” Adam said brushing Rocky’s back with his hand.  “What’s bothering you?”

Staring into the mirror once more, he sighed.  Slowly he peered into his lover’s eyes.

“I’m scared, Adam,” Rocky confessed with a shaking voice.  “We faced a lot of dangers as rangers and we always turned out alright in the end—even against the Machine Empire.”

Adam smirked.  “Zedd helped us with that, remember?  It’s natural to be scared.”

“But this time I _am_ scared.”  Rocky shivered—his voice trembling.

Surprised, Adam narrowed his eyes, probing Rocky’s face again.  There was no sign of humor or sarcasm in any of it.  Yet as he scanned Rocky’s face, Adam saw a deeper anxiety in Rocky that he had never seen before.  Not even the destruction of the Power Coins or the implosion of the Command Center had caused this much sorrow within Rocky.  Nor had he ever heard Rocky lose control of his voice like this.

“I don’t want to die, Adam,” Rocky said, his voice breaking towards a sob.  “And I’m scared we may.”

Adam began to smile.  “We aren’t gonna—”

“Plus… I’m scared of what I’ll do to you,” Rocky cut in.

Adam pulled back his head a few inches at these words.  “Excuse me?” he asked after a few seconds, eyeing him with curiosity.

“Jason controlled Tommy like it was nothing,” Rocky elaborated.  “I was Jason’s successor; who’s to say I may be next?” he added, his face screaming with anxiety.

Relieved that he finally understood, Adam immediately pulled Rocky into a tight, yet cushioning hug, using his body as a pillow.  Rocky collapsed into the Adam’s arms, wrapping his own around Adam’s waist and back.

“Don’t think about it, Rocko,” Adam whispered into Rocky’s ear.  He kissed the side of Rocky’s head.  “Don’t think about it.”


	3. What to Do?

Kimberly sat beside Trini on the linen sofa within her living room with her hand on Trini’s knee.  Yet the hand went unnoticed by Trini.  She remained in her crumbled slump, her hair hanging like Weeping Willow branches in mid-autumn around her face. 

Although rain pounded on the skylight above them as the thunder boomed, for Kimberly the silence within the room shrieked louder as she agonized that she could not think of what to say.  She had never experienced anything like this.  Granted her parents’ divorce had been terrible, but they had been honest with each other in regards to their feelings.  Whatever had happened to Jason, it was clear to Kimberly that he had kept it from Trini.  Otherwise, the rest of the current Ninjetti rangers would have known about it.  And the question rang continuously in Kimberly’s mind like the thunder outside:  _What had Jason done to Trini that had reduced her to this?_   Learning that Jason was the Monarch of Evil was terrible, but with Trini like this, made the day even worse.

Finally, Kimberly could stand it no longer.  Mustering her courage she sat up, leaning toward her friend.  “Trini?” she began, avoiding the tentative pseudo-compassionate tone a councilor would adopt to a first time patient.

The yellow ranger stirred.  “Yes?” Trini whispered, not meeting Kimberly’s eyes.

Kimberly almost fell off of the couch with surprise.  “Are you alright?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Trini sighed, clapping a hand onto her forehead as she slumped forward even further.  “I keep seeing these images in my head.”

“Images?” Kimberly repeated.  “What do you mean?”

Trini sighed again, swinging her head from side to side.  “They’re just flashes,” she said.  “I can’t explain them.”  She added, cradling her forehead in her hands.

Kimberly rubbed Trini’s back.  Not being a professional therapist like Trini had been for the past four years, Kimberly found nothing she could say to this.  Nevertheless, she opened her mouth to speak, desperate to ease the suffering stirring within her best friend.  Yet before she could say anything, she was interrupted by Zack jive dancing down the hallway towards her and Trini.

“Two Zack Taylor melon/mango smoothies for the lovely ladies,” he said, his face shining with joy as he carried two small glasses filled to the brim.

Kimberly smiled at the gesture.  Zack had not changed at all since high school.  Trini glanced at the smoothies with apathy.  The last thing on her mind was food.

“Take a sip; you’ll feel better,” Zack said, handing the small glass to Trini.

She took it, and sipped, glad for a distraction from the flashes within her mind fighting to the surface, but the smoothie had no taste to her.  It was cold and smooth.  But there was no pleasure in drinking it.  When she swallowed, she felt it fall into the chasm inside of her—hollow and dead.

“It may not be Ernie’s, but it’s the best I could do,” Zack chimed in.

“It’s delicious,” Kimberly said, meeting his eye.  “Thank you.”

Zack beamed with a goofy smile in response.

Trini turned to Kimberly.  “Do you mind if I get ready for bed?” she asked.  “I’m a bit worn out.”

“Sure, no problem,” Kimberly said.

Without looking at either of them, Trini rose to her feet, walked down the hall, and closed the guest bedroom door behind her.

As soon as the door was shut, Kimberly and Zack exchanged significant looks of worry—each of them understanding the other:  There was more going on here than Trini was letting on.

“So did she say anything?” Zack asked, sinking onto the ottoman in front of the couch.

“She said something about images in her head, but that’s it,” Kimberly replied, gulping down a mouthful of smoothie.

“I wonder what that means,” Zack pondered.

“I don’t know,” Kimberly said.  “She needs help, but who could get her through this?”

“One thought comes to mind but I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”

“Billy?”

Zack shook his head.  “Sean,” he corrected her.  “Obviously, he knows more about what’s going on than we do.  Remember how he faced off against Tommy, and then Jason?”

“That gave me goose bumps.”

“Yeah, me too.  I’ve never seen anybody fight like that.  But there is something about that guy that I don’t trust.”

“We just met him a few hours ago.”

“It’s not just that,” Zack said, hesitating to say more.

“What?  What is it?” Kimberly asked.

Zack sighed.  “I overheard some of what Jason and Sean said when they were fighting.  They mentioned a pact.”

Kimberly’s glass slipped from her grasp.  She caught it just in time.  “Are you sure?”

He nodded.  “Yeah, I am.  I don’t like where this is going.  There is so much we don’t know and the bit that we do know about, we haven’t had time to process.”

“Such as what happened on the moon?” Kimberly suggested.

“That too.  Tommy, Rocky, and Adam didn’t seem like talking.”

Kimberly bit her tongue to stop retorting.  “What do you want to do?” Kimberly asked coolly.

Zack sighed.  “Stick together,” he answered with a stern face.  “And hope for the best.”

Kimberly scanned his face.  To anyone else, Zack could have been declaring that the rangers should be a team, but Kimberly knew better.

“Zack, I know you are trying to be protective, but you can’t shut out all our options.  I guarantee you that Billy had a very good reason for not telling us seven and a half years ago.  And there _are_ a lot of unanswered questions, but if we reject Sean, we reject Billy’s trust also.  If we can’t trust each other, then we’ll be finished.  We barely survived this evening, and that was just a test!”  Zack rounded on her.  “When Zordon first called on us, we were all reluctant.  Only Jason saw that Zordon’s offer was genuine.”

“And look where he is now,” Zack interjected.

“You’re missing the point!” Kimberly snapped, recovering herself almost instantly.  “Zordon had faith in us.  Why should we not have faith in one of his friends or in Billy?”

Zack shifted on the ottoman.  Kimberly’s words had struck a nerve within him.  Putting aside his skepticism, he had to concede that Kimberly was right.  It made him feel worse that he was wrong about one of his friends.  “I just want Billy and Sean to be upfront with us,” he said.  “That’s all.”

“They will be,” Kimberly said, moving her eyes to the guest bedroom door.  “Sooner or later, we will know the truth… and so will she.”

* * *

With the door behind her, Trini relinquished her fake smile with a sigh, as she slumped back on the door, not caring to turn on the lights.  She just hung there with half opened eyes, neither conscious nor unconscious, but lost in a haze of confusion, taking no notice of the almost utter darkness of the night and the pounding of the rain.  Her head drifted down.

It was better for her to be away from Zack, Kimberly, and their sympathy.  Unfortunately, not even the door, the distance separating them, and the chaos of her mind could remove Zack and Kimberly’s presences from her mind.  In truth she neither knew nor cared.  Yet she was glad for the physical separation from her friends.  Neither of them could understand what was going on with her.  Even she did not know...

Ever since Jason had held her with that strange eye stare…

_How had he frozen me like that?_ she thought.

…a tornado of images had been gathering strength and mass within her mind.  She saw her wedding; people laughing.  The image of Jason making a toast at their wedding table shined in total clarity.  His beaming smile spread about his body.  And those around both of them

Yet at the same time, she saw things that made no sense.  For a brief second she saw the outside of her wedding church on what seemed a bright sunny day.  A man walked through the gateless cemetery to the right of it.  Trini recognized the man.  _But where?_ she wondered.  Here memory could not answer, almost refusing.  Only the man’s back was visible.

Trini swayed, squeezing her forehead.  It was like looking at a black and white photograph that had barely survived a burned down building.  The more she tried to focus on it, the more distorted the image became.

Echoes of swords clashing reverberated in her mind, as though from the memory of a battle.  But she could not picture one.  Only snarls, yells, and muffled dialogue to the point she could not tell if it was human tempted her and tested her sanity.

_What does this all mean?_ she pleaded, wishing the conflicting thoughts would vacate her mind.  _And why can’t I think?_

Half of her wanted this nightmare to go away, to fade like the sunlight when the storm clouds had stretched above Kimberly’s house less than an hour ago, while the other half of her (the part that had guided her when she was a ranger, she believed) wanted to keep thinking.  Yet she leaned more toward the former, hoping that the visions would stop.  But they did not.  Like an African American slave’s spiritual, the images rang softly but grew in intensity and substance over time.  Unfortunately, they did not fill her with hope.  Instead, they filled her with dread and terror.

A lightning bolt struck outside the window near the house, casting a brilliant silvery light throughout the room, ripping her from her woes and confusion.  Trini turned to the window.  She gave a sigh.

_What is going on?_ she thought. There had to be a reason she was seeing these things.  But her strength waned.  Her body ached as though she had a fever, and her insides felt squeezed and empty as though she had vomited repeatedly for the past few hours.

None of this made sense.

Rubbing her temples, she crossed to the bed.


	4. A Torn Leader

Tommy had just turned around and taken two steps forward when he felt some sort of hot energy hit him from behind.  Next thing he knew, the gloominess of outer space replaced the brightness of the Angel Grove High’s hallways.  Tommy glanced around. 

Several gates linked in a polygonal wall surrounded him no more than forty feet in diameter.

A blanket of fog covered the ground up to Tommy’s knees.  Each of the gates had a circular center that had some sort of demon or gargoyle-like face in which six brass-looking bars intersected.  Endless blackness and stars stretched from behind each gate.  Tommy looked up.  There was no ceiling and no evidence he was anywhere near Earth.

Bringing his wrist communicator to his mouth, he activated it.  “This is Tommy, can anyone hear me?” he called.  Only static responded.  “Command Center, come in!” he added, tapping his communicator furiously.

Still, only static.

“There has to be a way out of here,” he said, wandering thru the mist.  With caution, he crept toward the gate he was nearest to.  Foreboding stretched out from the figurine.    Ignoring it, Tommy stretched out his hand toward the brass bars.  He had to get out.  Upon grasping it, tiny jolts of white electricity raked up his forearm.  Snapping his hand back, he caressed it.  It was on fire, vibrating with unwanted energy, but there were no burns.  _Well, that was a smart idea,_ he snarled.

“You aren’t going anywhere,” said a growling voice behind Tommy.

Tommy spun around.

A wingless Goldar stood opposite of him, pointing his sword at Tommy.

Reflexively, Tommy reached behind his back for his morpher.  Gasping, all he found was the top of his pants.  Panic coursed through his veins and arteries like ice.

“Looking for this?” Goldar asked, holding the red ranger morpher (Tommy’s morpher) in his other hand.  Goldar began to advance, still pointing his sword at Tommy’s heart.

“Rita has given you to me as a reward for my faithful service,” Goldar said, laughing with uncontainable joy.  Glee shined in his eyes.

Tommy knew why.  Nothing would please Goldar more than slaying a power ranger—let alone the leader of the Power Rangers.

At once Goldar swung his sword at Tommy.  The power ranger dodged it, jumping out of sword reach.  _Please don’t use fire!_ Tommy thought.  He knew he could face Goldar, but without his morpher, there would be no way to resolve this fight.  He needed a plan.  Yet nothing came to him.

Goldar swung his sword once… twice… three times.  Each time, Tommy narrowly dodged it.  With some quick footing, he leaped over Goldar and side kicked him in the back.  Goldar staggered forward but regained his balance almost immediately.  Seeing the distraction, Tommy dived into the mist.  With the greatest subtlety he could muster, so as to disturb the fog as little as possible, he rolled away from the golden warrior.

“You can’t escape, Tommy!” Goldar laughed.

Tommy stole a glance at Goldar.  Goldar did not have his power morpher anymore.  He scanned around him.  It had to be somewhere.  _But where?_

“This is the end, Red anger!”

Time was running out.  He needed to look for it above the fog, but he’d have to deal with Goldar also.  _Not a good thing right now._

“No one can save you.”

Tommy made up his mind.

“No one, Goldar?” Tommy asked, jumping to his feet.  With a yell, he attacked Goldar with a furious combination of spinning kicks.  Goldar ducked under the first two, dodged the third, and then punched Tommy in the stomach.  With a groan, Tommy cowered to his knees.  Using the same hand, Goldar clasped his hand around Tommy’s neck.  Lifting him into the air, he pinned him to the wall.

“You think you can stop me with your pitiful attacks,” Goldar mocked.  “You are only human and no mere human is a match for Goldar.”

Tommy’s mind raced as he fought to release Goldar’s grip.  But Goldar only tightened his hold, laughing manically.  On a whim, Tommy shot a knifehand strike directly underneath Goldar’s mouth.  Snarling and coughing, Goldar threw Tommy across the arena.  Tommy crashed into a column, knocking the wind out of him as he rolled a couple of feet away from it.  Tommy shook his head, clawing to keep two thoughts together.

“I’m not finished with you, Tommy!” Goldar said.

Tommy rolled himself upright, forcing his eyes to focus.

“Don’t think hiding will save you!” Goldar yelled as Tommy inched himself away.

_Gotta… think . . . a way outta here,_ Tommy thought.

He was safe as long as the mist obscured him.  “I’ll find you!”  With a growl of frustration, Goldar began stabbing at the floor with his sword.

Tommy continued crawling.  He had to stay a step ahead of Goldar.

“You’re beginning to make me angry, human!” Goldar snarled, snapping his head in all directions.

_Clang!_

Tommy froze.  The clangs of Goldar’s sword were nearer.  Sweat poured down Tommy’s brow.  He looked up—and stifled a gasp.  Goldar was above him, about to bring his sword down on Tommy’s head.

_No, not like this!_

Tommy turned his head away but to his relief the blade hit the floor beside his head.

“This game is getting old!” Goldar growled in no certain direction, plowing on.

Tommy exhaled a silent sigh.  He was safe but how long could he keep this up?  Sooner or later Goldar would find him.

“There you are!”

Tommy turned.  Goldar, standing no more than seven feet from him, stared at Tommy pointing the tip of his sword at him.  Tommy rose to his feet slowly, staring down Goldar, attempting to hide all of his fear.

“Thought you could hide from me?” Goldar laughed.  “This day will be a glorious when I destroy you!”  He advanced.

Just Tommy caught something out of the corner of his eye.  He gasped sharply but stifled it halfway.  A green and yellow mist rose from the ground beside Goldar in the form of a human silhouette.  Instantly, it solidified into the evil Green Ranger.

“Goldar, stop,” said the evil Green ranger.  Tommy blinked in surprise upon hearing the voice.  It wasn’t his. 

_Who is that then?_ he wondered.

“Rita wants me to finish him off.”

With a nod and growl of acknowledgement, Goldar evaporated as dense yellow smoke.

“So, we meet again,” the green ranger said as he and Tommy squared off, side stepping in a wide circle.

“This is crazy,” Tommy said.  “I can’t fight you.”

“Then you will be destroyed,” said the ranger.

“You wear a power ranger costume but your allegiance is with Rita,” Tommy said.

“I serve my empress,” the evil green ranger said with an evil laugh.  “She commands me to destroy you and I must obey.”

“She’s evil!” Tommy yelled.

“So am I,” the green ranger said, executing a jump spinning sidekick at Tommy’s head.

Tommy ducked at the last moment, but didn’t have much time to counterattack before the Green ranger attacked.

The two of them fought anticipating the other’s moves, but Tommy was no match for a morphed power ranger.  Next thing he knew, he found himself on the floor, scraping to get away.  Glancing around, he saw his morpher nearby.  Tommy reached for it, but the Green Ranger stepped on his forearm just as his hand closed around his morpher.

As the evil Green Ranger stood over Tommy’s body, he held his arms out as if holding a staff horizontally.  At once, a dark gray scimitar with a large smooth red ruby in the center of the hilt materialized with swirling green energy into the evil ranger’s hands.  The sight of it made Tommy’s blood freeze.  He knew that sword but could not remember from where.

“How do you like my sword?” the evil ranger asked raising the coiled evil serrated scimitar with the blade aimed for Tommy’s chest.

Tommy froze in terror.  There was nothing he could do.  He was going to die regardless of what he did.

_No!_

He could not think this way.  There had to be some way for him to escape.  His eyes searched desperately around him but nothing around him could help him.  He tugged his left hand with all of his might but it would not move from under the ranger’s foot.

“Finally, the end of the red ranger is at hand,” the evil green ranger said.  As he raised the Sword of Darkness above Tommy’s heart, the Green Ranger’s helmet evaporated away as the same yellow and green mist.

For a brief moment, Tommy gaped at the sight of the ranger’s face glaring at Tommy with daggers of ice and hate.

“Jason, what are you… _stop!_ ”

Without hesitation, Jason slammed the sword down, piercing bone and flesh.

Tommy’s gut-wrenching scream tore him from the nightmare.  Sweat covered his body as he sat up instantly.  He buried his face in his hands, not wishing to remember that dreadful place.  It had been Rita’s prison.  As the evil Green Ranger, Tommy had been ordered to kill Jason in that place.  Despite the memory’s age he still regarded it as one of his most terrible ones.

Suddenly, there was a frantic knock.  He jumped.

“Tommy, are you alright?” Billy called through the door.

Tommy sighed.  “It was just a nightmare, Billy,” he responded, catching his breath.  “I’m fine now.  Go back to sleep.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” called Tommy, a bit more defensive than he had wished.  “I’ll talk to you in the morning,” he added gentler.

There was a pause.

“Alright, Tommy,” Billy replied.  His footsteps grew fainter.

Sighing with relief Tommy began reviewing the nightmare.

There were many details within his nightmare that contrasted greatly with Tommy’s recollection of that experience.  The dialogue was similar but his and Jason’s roles were reversed.  In the nightmare, Jason had been the evil Green Ranger while Tommy had been the Red Ranger.  That was absolutely wrong.  Jason had never been evil.

And then it clicked.  Jason _was_ evil now.  For all Tommy knew, his best friend had been evil ever since they had been on Muiranthius.  Or could it have been for longer?

Tommy lay back on his pillow.  Whilst gazing at the shaded window, yesterday’s conversation with Jason overlapped in his mind with the interchange from his nightmare.  _What now, Jase?_ he thought.  _What now?_

* * *

Meanwhile, Billy made his way to the couch, massaging his neck.  Now that the shock had waned, the pain was staring to set in.  However uncomfortable it was, that was the least of his concerns.

_This was starting to get aggravating.  First Trini freaks out; and now Tommy was having nightmares._   This was no way to start a new era as Power Rangers.  _Damn, we should have come earlier,_ he thought as he slumped onto the couch.  Dark shadows of rain sloshing on the sliding glass door ran down Billy’s body.  As he lay down, he wished those waters would wash away the evil Jason had done and drown him.

_A penny for your thoughts?_ Sean asked.

_How many do you have to spare?_ Billy thought aloud, continuing to stare at the rain.

Sean blurred into the room like a phantom or ghost would on the opposite side of the coffee table in front of the couch, though he was oddly translucent.

Billy stared at Sean completely unsurprised.  It was a mental projection.

“How is your neck?” Sean asked, his voice possessing a slight echo.

“Sore,” Billy said, sitting up.  “How are the others?”

“Worried,” Sean answered.

“Yeah.  Tommy’s a mess,” Billy replied, gesturing to Tommy’s bedroom.

“Tommy will be fine,” Sean said, “Trini’s a different story.”

Billy shook his head in disgust.  “She doesn’t deserve this,” he said.

“No,” Sean sighed. “She does not.”

“She has no idea why she is suffering.”

“But she will in time,” Sean countered.  “For now we—” He hunched forward, blinking his eyes and ducking his head as the projection of his body flickered briefly.

Billy narrowed his eyes.  “Even your mind is tired,” he said.  “What’s going on, Sean?”

Sean recovered himself, stabilizing his projection.  “I have a few ideas as to why this is occurring,” he said, “But for now, I must sleep.  May Cestria, Titrus, and Arqua enrich your dreams, Billy,” he added, fading with a strained look on his face.

Billy remained staring at the space Sean had faded from.  _What could cause Sean to be so tired?_ he thought.  “You had better not be behind this, Jason,” he said quietly.  Feeling the weariness creep upon him once more, he lied back down, and fell asleep within minutes.


	5. Deeper Problems

Sean had barely pulled out of his semi-trance before he tumbled forward, his head spinning to the point he did not know where he was.  He crashed on his left side, splattering mud all over his already drenched clothes and face, and then collapsed onto his back as his right arm slapped the soggy earth above his head like a hundred pound weight.

For a few moments, he lay motionless with eyes shut outside the back wall of Kimberly’s guest bedroom window—neither stirring nor shivering as he sank into the mud while the rain continued pelting his face.  However, he barely felt the rain and mud.  In fact, not even the roar or sight of the overhead turbulent sky tearing in half repeatedly reached his ears or eyes as he slumped into darkness—hovering within a millimeter of unconsciousness.

Yet behind his eyelids, he fought to stay conscious, but it was like someone had injected his body with liquid iron and stuck him in a pool of quicksand.  His body had still not fully recovered from its exhaustion after Jason’s battle over six hours ago.  Even after all that time, energy continued leaking from his limbs.  Sean could not count the years it had been since he had been this tired before.  Even simple thoughts were a struggle for him.  The temptation to pass out… to rest… to let go… was all within Sean’s grasp.  He was so close to it.  All he had to do was yield to it.  Mere moments ago, he had told Billy that he needed to sleep.  He just needed to let go.

Still, he refused.  Pushing though the turmoil he commanded that the pseudo-relief remain foreign.  Difficult as it was, it had to be so.  And he did.

Sean had been there since Kimberly, Zack, and Trini had arrived in order to watch over them.  If he passed out now, he could sink into a coma, and he could not allow that.  He needed to be here for Trini.  It was partially his fault that Trini was in this condition, and because of that, she was his responsibility.  Neither Zack nor Kimberly knew fully what Trini had experienced seven years ago.  Only Sean and Jason could fully guide her to the truth.  Yet given the current circumstances, Sean figured he would be a better choice than Jason.

And it was that very thought of keeping Trini away from Jason that fueled his drive towards full consciousness.  Eyes still shut, he flopped his head to the left, facing the house.

As he focused on Trini, he felt the edge of her mind.  Even though he was lightly touching it, he did not hear or sense her thinking.  In fact, he hardly felt anything on the surface.  Compassion and concern pumped adrenaline throughout his body, giving his mind the extra energy boost it thirsted for.  He knew people who suffered from severe shellshock usually had less brain activity, but he sensed far less than he had expected.  Nevertheless, he sensed she was alive but somehow inactive.  Keeping his eyes closed, he inched his senses a little deeper piercing the surface of her mind, all the while maintaining a cautious distance from any of Trini’s brain functions (memories and physiology) and masking his presence.  The last thing he wanted was to cause her anymore suffering.  Regardless, he needed to know what state she was in.

And yet, he was taking a huge risk in doing this.  Knowing full well what Trini had gone through in the past eight years—more so than she or any of the others knew—he had a fairly accurate idea of what shape her mind was in.  Yet there was still the problem that he was more exhausted than he had been in years.  Sean could have thought of a similar situation, but he knew that nothing in his life had been like this.

Automatically, his face drooped into a frown.  The damage Trini had sustained from Jason’s connection with her mind was extensive.  Her memories were in shambles; events overlapping while some were scarred.  It was no wonder she went into a vegetative state after her mental breakdown.  Regrettably, Sean could not determine if the damage was caused by Jason or by Trini.

Yet it was just when he was assessing the damage, Sean’s connection began to dissipate.  With a rush of determined perseverance, Sean strengthened his partial link.  He had to know if she was in a coma or just asleep.  However it was very difficult for him to maintain his link while masking his presence.  He barely had enough energy to lift one of his hands—let alone sneak around someone’s mind.  Nonetheless, this had to be done.  Only he could determine the amount of suffering Jason had inflicted on her.

Mustering his concentration, Sean resumed his search for Trini’s consciousness.  Most of her conscious mind, from what he could see and hear, was almost a void (which probably meant she was asleep), but he sensed something behind the void—an echo of how it had functioned when she was awake.  He redirected his senses, following the trail… and softly exclaimed something between a sigh and a gasp of horror, pity, and compassion.

Unfortunately, the link began to disintegrate again consequently.  Regaining a better control on his emotions, he reinforced his link once more.  Meanwhile, a tinge of guilt swam around his heart.  The last thing Trini needed now—much less wanted—was another telepath running around in her mind.  However her life was in danger, which none of the others knew.  This had to be done, whether she wanted it or not.  He made a solemn vow that he would reap the consequences later.  Sean had endured too much to allow her to die so easily.

His composure restored, he focused on what was behind the void.  The gap between her subconscious and her conscious mind had been torn to the point it had almost been completely ripped.  Sean suppressed a shudder, focusing on the task at hand.  He did not have the energy to divide his concentration.  Nevertheless, he still had not found where she dwelled in her mind.

However it did not take him long before he stumbled into a mental wall.  Sean almost mentally blinked.  As inactive as her mind had been, he was very surprised to find such an impenetrable barrier.  He tried to find an opening but there was none.  Whatever this wall was, it was meant to be sealed—not opened.  Forcing himself into it was out of the question.  It would damage her further and he had stayed too long in her mind—exerting too much energy.  Even now, his perception of the mental wall began to distort.  It was time for him to leave her mind and meditate.

_You never should have endured this,_ he thought once he crawled out her mind.  And he opened his eyes for the first time since fainting, staring at the dying storm above him.  _Zordon, watch over Trini and help her._


	6. A Wife's Escape

The setting sun’s dazzling yellow and golden rays danced upon the ocean’s surface as waves of light broke upon the South Pacific Island’s beach.  A serene, joyous breeze carried the ocean’s breath halfway up the side of a forest half-covered mountain to a lone woman leaning on a wooden balcony.  It was surrounded by lush bushes and trees of various floras; all swaying lightly in the breeze—the yellow tint from the sun enriching the scene.

Trini’s long lightly colored formal dress flowed in the breeze as she leaned on the balcony rail, transfixed by the sights, smells, and sounds of the nature around her.  A brilliant Fiji sprouted from a small bun on top of her head, while the rest of her long, sleek, black hair waved in the breeze.

Neither a feeling nor thought of worry or dread swam through Trini’s body.  The last of the knotted and layered tension in her shoulders, chest, and back had finally evaporated in the last hour.  Only serenity and euphoria sang within her heart, lifting her spirit to heights it had not been to for months— _those long dark months,_ she thought as a slight frown creased her lip, but she forced it away immediately.  This was not the time to be gloomy, especially in the midst of such beauty and life.  At long last, she could relax after so much worry, fear, and dread.  For once, she could stop and enjoy her life.  She was finally married; married to a man that completed her in ways that she never thought possible.

“How is the view?” asked a soft, deep, and soothing voice from behind her that resonated with love, yet at the same time was as strong as a stone mountain.

Tilting her head down, Trini smiled as she felt her husband stride from the living room toward her.  He gently caressed her waist with his hand, the very touch sending electricity throughout her spine and body, straightening the hairs up her back and neck with elation.  And behind the electricity, she felt a fire—a fire of passion, romance, and compassion, and love.  Yet she did not need his physical touch to know that he loved her.  It was his heart that she felt.  And as long as she felt that, she felt safe.  Throughout the recent dark months, Jason’s love had been a permanent reassurance of hope for her just as her love and support had been one for him.

With the wind, her arms floated to meet his, caressing them tenderly in front of her waist.

“Perfect,” she said, glancing over her left shoulder.

The dark brown eyes of Jason Lee Scott—her fellow ex-power ranger, former leader, and one of her dearest friends, and now… husband—held her face for an eternity.  Although he had unbuttoned the collar of his tuxedo shirt and removed his bowtie—perhaps it was the angle of light from the setting sun—to Trini, he was the most handsome man on Earth at that moment.  His metallic silver vest glistened in the sunlight, almost as brilliantly as his eyes.  Eyes she could stare into for eternity and be content.

“I’m glad,” Jason said.

 _I almost thought this wouldn’t happen,_ Trini thought, beaming as a tear traced the edge of her cheek.

“Hey,” Jason replied softly, stroking her cheek with his fingers.  “Don’t feel bad.”

She giggled as her face grew warm with embarrassment.  His hand was warm, gentle, and affectionate to her touch.  And she nestled within it.  The blood flowed from her face until she was her normal tone.  Yet even when that was done, she continued resting her head in his hand.  Words could hardly describe what she felt within her.  Trini felt as though Jason and she were flying, soaring above the clouds.

“That’s what I get for marrying a telepath,” she whispered half jokingly, tilting her head to meet his gaze.

Jason smiled as he spun her around.  “Hey, I married an empath, remember?” he chuckled.  She opened her eyes, gazing into his face.  “And I couldn’t be happier.”  His left hand still entwined with both of hers, Jason raised them to his lips and kissed them, all the while staring into her eyes.  _Because I am with you,_ Jason continued.

The touch of Jason’s thoughts within her mind was a joy beyond anything.

 _Look at our hands,_ Jason added, tilting their left hands toward the sun.

Trini looked down and smiled.  Jason’s yin designed ring and her yang designed ring glistened in the rays of the sun.  There was the proof that they were one:  husband and wife.

Stepping forward, he scooped his right hand behind her waist and swayed her toward him.  _Don’t worry about Dark Specter now,_ he said as he kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

So soft—so passionate were his lips that she almost melted underneath them.  Trini embraced her husband’s body, cushioned by his broad and developed chest as it expanded and contracted.

“I never want this feeling to end,” she said to Jason.

“Then it won’t,” said Jason, tilting her head towards his to look into her eyes.

She gazed unblinkingly into Jason’s passionate eyes—brown and white tunnels to stars of endless joy and love.  The very sight of them enriched Trini’s soul.

“I love you,” Trini said passionately and their mouths came together as the final rays of the sun dissolved in the sky.

Yes!

This was what she wanted to remember:  Jason and her, wrapped in each other’s arms and cradling within their love.  All of the events of the previous day—the pain, shock, horror, and sorrow—were far from her recollection; pushed away with such force and adamancy that it rivaled the force of one of Lord Zedd’s spells.  Yet she did not know this.  All she wanted was to be near her husband—the husband that she knew… and for him to assure her that he was not evil so she did not have to convince herself anymore.

Unfortunately, not even the joy from the first evening of her honeymoon spread to her face.

Trini Kwan Lee Scott lay fully clothed on top of Kimberly’s guest bedroom double bed—a slab of pale beige concrete as if lying in her coffin.  Her eyes did not move beneath her eyelids.


	7. Deeper into the Night

Sean inhaled an Ujjayi breath for the two hundred twenty-second time, feeling it coast throughout his body down the various streams of blood vessels, enriching each cell with life, strength, and stability, while reinforcing clarity within his mind.  After he had probed Trini’s mind, he had dragged himself into Vajrasana pose.  Though difficult to initiate, after his third Ujjayi breath Sean felt stronger.  Periodically shifting his weight from his toes, ankles, shins, and kneecaps had provided the perfect distraction of his continuous energy depletion.  The past hour’s meditation had provided him much needed rest. 

Yet although he was deep in thought, he devoted a fraction of his concentration to being aware of his surroundings.  Times as they were and had been, Sean could not afford to be lazy, regardless of his physical discomforts.  Some would argue that Sean was overreacting, but then again hardly anyone else had spent as much time observing and learning about the current Monarch of Evil. 

And Sean had ever since he had first discovered Jason.  Sean had always found time, even if he was in another galaxy, to check in on Jason; whether by teleporting to Earth, keeping in contact with Alpha 5 and Zordon, or psychically sensing Jason’s status whenever he was within proximity to Earth.  Though doing it without arousing suspicion from his allies, companions, friends, and Dark Specter’s forces had proven to be less of a challenge than others might have guessed.

Yet no matter how much he meditated and focused his mind, he was still tired.  Were the circumstances different, he would sleep.  His body craved for it.  However sleep for him was not an option.  Yet it did not matter now.  Gone was the temptation to sleep, replaced instead by his mission to protect his protégés, and reinforced by his perseverance to ensure it.

Zack, Tommy, Adam, Kimberly, Billy, Trini, and Rocky were indeed protégés, for that was what they were meant to be; if not Sean’s, than protégés to themselves—to their sacred animals—and to the universe.  Valuable though his knowledge, experience, and wisdom would be to them, Sean had taught Billy well over the past eight years, and was confident in Billy’s ability to relay his teachings to his friends.  Not only that, but he was confident in the other rangers’ skills, wisdom, and character.  Busy as he had been over the past twelve years with Jason, he had watched over them, and was very pleased with their development—especially Tommy’s.  Though the truth about Jason was hitting Tommy incredibly hard—more so than Trini—Sean had validated faith that Tommy would get through this.  Tommy’s accomplishments the previous year spoke for him.  Above all this, Sean respected Zordon’s choices in those who he had chosen to be Power Rangers.

Reminding himself of these facts comforted Sean and made it easier for him to focus on the current problems:  Trini’s depression, her mental instability, Jason targeting and mentally raping her, Sean’s energy drain, and the other rangers’ shock and frustration to the past day’s events (particularly Tommy, Zack, and Rocky’s).  He did not need to squabble on which one was more important.  However valid the other rangers’ inner struggles were, Trini took priority followed closely by his energy drain.

The fact that Trini was sleeping was comforting to Sean, though the mental fortress she had constructed and buried herself within concerned him.  No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, Sean knew that she remembered most of what had occurred during the year following Jason’s return from Muiranthius.  She alone out of all of her friends knew the real reasons why Jason had chosen to be evil.  And she also knew why Jason was a telepath, and why she was an empath, even though she did not wish to access that knowledge.

A mixture of sadness, pity, and compassion swept over the river of tranquility within Sean.  The psychological and emotional repercussions of Jason’s onslaught on Trini’s mind were as of yet undetermined.  Trini’s E.S.P. had already begun to exert itself which was a dangerous case in itself.  Though not as psychically powerful as Sean was, Trini’s empathy used to be incredibly sensitive and strong, especially when around Jason.  Sean was unsure of how strong her senses would be after seven years of inactivity.  If it resurfaced as powerful as it once was, he worried that Trini’s sensitivity may deteriorate her already weakened mental state because her mind may not be able to process or handle the external signals and emotions.

And that was one of the reasons Sean was there—not just being a sentinel, but as a friend to Trini.  He had been there for her when Jason discovered what he was, and he would be there for her now and later.  As an experienced and accomplished psychic/telepath, he could guide her in certain mental exercises to build up her mental strength, and harness her E.S.P. once more if she was willing.  Forcing his mental training on her would only make the situation worse.

Unfortunately, as important as Trini’s wellbeing was, Sean remembered his second priority:  himself.

It had taken more discipline and energy than he had anticipated in maintaining his mental projection while communicating with Billy and to probe Trini’s mind—neither of which Sean had needed for years.  And this concerned him.  What concerned him more was the fact that he still felt torn, stretched, and slightly incorporeal, and insubstantial, as if a piece of him was missing.  Over the many hours of the night, that feeling had only intensified, darkening Sean’s perception of his own doom.

Yet despite this predicament, Sean did not feel as though he was dying.  Weak and exhausted his body and mind were, his wisdom and experience shined through, more so after meditating, telling him that he would live.  Throughout his life, Sean had come close to death countless times and he could tell that this was not one of those moments.  However the question remained: if he was certain that he was not going to die, then what was the reason behind his energy drain?  He had theories, but was lacking one bit of evidence.  _Time will tell if I am correct though,_ Sean thought.

He inhaled deeply, opening his body once again to the moist air.  It swept down into his lungs, inflating them with new energy, which swam through the rest of his body.  He opened his eyes, taking in the partial overcast sky.  After many hours, the storm had finally begun to dissipate.  Slowly with a determined look, he rose to his feet gingerly and leaned upon the wall with his right hand.

Soon, he became aware of a tingling in his left hand.  Looking down, he noticed two pale, thin, and emerald green energy streaks swimming along the outline of his hand and up his forearm.  Instead of panicking, Sean sighed.  He had seen this energy pattern before on Kimberly when her power coin had been stolen by Katherine.  However, Kimberly’s streaks had only been pink.  Half of these had silver tinted cores instead of the pure white Kimberly had experienced, while the other half were yellow tinted.

Lifting his right hand slightly as a green wave of energy slid down around his forearm into his hand, Sean gazed at his palm as the green wave materialized into his power coin. 

“Good,” he whispered.  “I still have it.”

He scanned it minutely, flipping it around to see every perspective of it.  To his immense satisfaction, it was intact, undamaged, and unchanged—neither in color or shape.  However, Sean sighed as he willed his coin to melt into his skin as green energy.

 _Then my fears are validated,_ he thought, as he gazed at the second stage crescent moon, stealthily shielding his mind from outside penetration.  Jason was up there, alert and awake.  Sean could feel him.  _No doubt Jason has seen this.  But I won’t be as helpless as Kimberly was._

Turning his attention back to his energies, he sought to balance them.  His theory being that if he could equalize the distribution of them, Sean could minimize the leak and therefore retain his strength longer.  Now that he had the evidence he had been waiting for, it was imperative for him to be as energized as possible.

 _What are you planning Jason?_ he thought.  _How long will you remain silent?_

It was uncharacteristic for Jason to remain on the sidelines for too long during an established ranger conflict.  Sean recalled of the time when Lord Zedd had captured Tommy, Zack, Kimberly, and Trini with the Octophantom, at which time Jason engaged the monster in single combat while Billy constructed a device to gain the upper hand on the monster.  Sean smiled as he remembered.  Jason had always been a fighter—a perseverant fighter at that.  Therefore the lack of a follow-up attack by a monster, tengas, or even putties (whether Rita’s, Super, Lord Zedd’s, or Fused) was slightly disconcerting to Sean, which meant that Jason had a bigger agenda.  Regardless of what it was Sean knew that it had something to do with Trini.  However, waiting was all he could do now.  And he was very good at that.


	8. A Rape Completed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Use discretion when reading this chapter.

The night dragged on, and still nothing happened.  The final flecks of rain had long since abated, leaving Sean in a voided twilight of anticipation.

He waited with patience, knowledge, and experience, and wisdom as his allies.  Although dawn was only approximately two hours away, the very night whispered to Sean what he had already guessed—and had decided that was true beyond a doubt:  the danger was far from over.  Every particle within him knew that before the color of the sky around Kimberly’s house brightened, Jason would make his move.  Unfortunately, Sean was still unsure as to what that would be or when exactly it would happen.

* * *

_Trini..._

She did not stir.  Still immersed in her nostalgic fantasy, Trini almost did not hear the voice whispering in the distance.  For her, it was merely a second stream of consciousness, almost indistinguishable from her own thoughts.  It was so distant that she did not even register that the voice was not her own; that it wasn’t even female.

All that mattered was that she was lying in bed with the man she loved.  Trini rolled gracefully onto her left side, propping her head up with her left hand.  She gazed at Jason’s sleeping form:  peaceful, enchanting, and exquisite.  His face bore no tension; his breath barely audible.

Trini watched him, transfixed by his features.  His round jaw line and pointed chin, dashing eyebrows crowning radiant eyes behind smooth eyelids, and his thick rumpled black hair lined his face perfectly.  He lay there with an inner tranquility reflected awesomely in the lack of any tension in his shirtless upper body.  Drifting her eyes downward, Trini saw his legs bore no signs of strain that she could see through the sheet.  This was her prince, her love, and her treasure.  All was well now in the world as far as she was concerned.  She could stay here for hours, watching Jason breathe.

Outside the closed window, the faint chirping of a family of birds in a nearby tree serenaded the couple.  The bright golden beams of the morning sun filtered through the painted wooden shutters, projecting brilliant contrasts of light throughout the room.

 _Ahh paradise… bliss…_ Trini thought.

 _Trini…_ the voice called softly again.  This time it was more distinguished, and she could tell it was Jason’s.

 _Hmm…?_   She felt Jason’s hand trace her chin.  Yet the Jason lying beside her had not moved.  He was still asleep.

Trini paused, gazing at him with slight confusion.

_Rise and shine, Trini._

“You’re the one who’s still asleep,” she giggled, playfully stroking Jason’s hair.  He did not move.

_I’m not asleep, Trini._

This time, Trini felt the voice from somewhere else.  _Outside the room?_ she mused.  Trini lifted her head towards the door.  “Jason, are you playing with me?” asked gleefully, her voice carrying past the door.

_Wake up, and I’ll explain._

“What are you talking about?” she asked, half laughing with joy.

_You’ve dreamed long enough, Trini.  It’s time to face the new day._

His voice was soft, deep, and benevolent, and comforting, calling to Trini with such a yearning that she longed to be with it.  She heard it both audibly and within her mind.  It was all around her and within her, as if it were a presence all on it’s own.  Warmth filled her up like steam from a hot spring.  No other voice in the world could do that but this one.  It was Jason’s voice, a voice that she trusted and took refuge in.  For it put her at ease; her worries slipping away.

 _Come to me…_ it beckoned.

Trini closed her eyes and the dream faded.  Now, all she saw were the backs of her eyelids.  She did not even registered that the mattress of which she was lying on was firmer than the one from her dream (for she was unaware that she had been dreaming), and also that she was not under any sheets.

A steady creek of pleasure rose within her, spreading throughout her arteries to her capillaries and finally to her organs, tissues and cells.  Joyful at the prospect of beginning a new day, she breathed in deeply.

 _Is it time for breakfast?_ she muttered in her thoughts, half asleep, and still in the mindset of her honeymoon.  Rubbing her closed eyes, she rolled onto her elbows.  “Jason?” she whispered, smiling.

“Yes,” Jason whispered from across the room.

“Where are you?” she asked, grinning brightly.

“Right here,” Jason breathed, in the direction of the foot of the bed.  “Good morning.”

Swinging her head in elation, Trini opened her eyes, expecting to see a luxurious suite.

Instead, the familiarity of Kimberly’s guest bedroom sucked the joy from her arteries instantly, along with most of her color, leaving her with the complexion of a solid ghost.  She was not in her island balcony suite, the sun was not shining, and it was silent—a silence that was harsh to her ears… and also to her mind though she did not register why.  The cyclone of images that had plagued her for hours after the confrontation with Jason was gone, leaving behind a partial blank in her memory and terror.  These only intensified her confusion.  The cold, scaly, and rotted hand of reality rammed into her with such force that she almost fell down. 

However, before this had set in, her eyes fell upon the figure hidden in shadows on the wall in front of the foot of the bed; the sight of him sent shivers up Trini’s legs and arms, and her spine almost snapped when she straightened up, her fingers digging through the sheets now crushed in her palms.  Yet she did not notice.  All of her attention remained frozen upon the figure before her.  Trini did not need to see his face to recognize him.

Tall and erect stood the black silhouette of Jason—not the Jason she had married, who had cherished every part of her being.  This was someone… different… scarier… and darker though—not just because he was in shadow.  Goosebumps sprang up her legs by simply being in the same room with him.

“What’s going on?” she whispered, swinging her head around, but unable to turn her eyes from her husband.  Her voice shook with hoarse quick breaths.

“Shouldn’t you know that already?” Jason asked, stepping out of the shadows.  The moonlight thru the window to the left of Trini now highlighted his powerful form.  Jason stood there in the partial darkness, staring deep into her eyes, a naked god of muscle, power, discipline, and passion—passion Trini had once adored.

Now, all she wanted to do was run.  Yet she could not tear her eyes from his eyes—eyes that shook her core.  Trini inched backward under Jason’s gaze.  It bore through her eyes, beyond her mind, and into the heart of her soul.

* * *

Jason’s presence shot through Sean like a dart the second Jason had teleported into the room.  _So, you’ve appeared,_ Sean mused.   _What are you up to?  Her mind is already unlocked.  There’s nothing else you can—_

And at last he finally saw Jason’s desire.  It was written clearly on Jason’s mind, in a way only Sean could read… because Jason wanted him to see it. 

Sighing, Sean closed his eyes in defeat.  There was nothing he could do to intervene at this stage.  Jason had already forged a deep rooted connection with Trini’s mind before he had materialized into the room, one that Sean could not sever without risking further injury to his friend’s mind, especially in Sean’s current condition.  As long as the connection between Jason and Trini was maintained, any interruption could further damage Trini’s mind.  Unfortunately, this meant that reinforcements were out of the question.  Jason could snap the connection apart before they finished materializing, ripping Trini’s mind in the process.  However, Jason, him being more experienced and mentally stable than Trini, would be more or less immune to any cerebral damage due to the various mental defenses he had undoubtedly already implemented.  It was a perfect strategy.

 _So you want me to watch, Jason,_ Sean thought, _knowing that I would not have intervened anyway._ He added with a slight smile, “seeing” Jason give him a mental nod.  _Be strong, Trini,_ Sean prayed, blinking his eyes, and keeping his thoughts private from Jason and Trini.Shielding his thoughts required not so much telepathy, but natural mental discipline.  _I know this is and shall be hard for you, but you were strong before and after Jason became Evil.  That strength still resides within you.  Be strong once again._

Help was impossible for her at this point.  Yet, Sean would stay regardless.  _I will not forsake our friendship, Trini,_ Sean promised.  _And I will be with you after this, just as I promised.  Kimberly, I hope you remain where you are,_ he added, keeping his ESP honed on Trini and Jason.  Dividing his focus to involve Kimberly would strain his perception which would result in that he would miss out on important knowledge of Trini’s health.  However, he was certain that Kimberly was still upstairs asleep in her room.  He had just checked three minutes ago.   _This is something you will not want to see,_ he continued. _I hope you all will forgive me._

* * *

There was no rational reason behind Trini’s fear; no real motive behind the sweat dripping from her forehead and cheeks.  Trini could not explain it.  Even with the events of the previous afternoon she could not find a reason as to why she should be so scared of Jason.  Nevertheless, Trini could not deny that every nerve and skeletal muscle in her body was frozen by terror, but simultaneously quaked with anxiety.  Her heart pounded fervently against her ribcage to the point she felt her ribs would shatter.

“You’re not here—you’re… a—a hallucination!” Trini stammered, but her voice had no strength behind it.  It was tired and drained.  The lack of sufficient nourishment during the previous evening, along with her sudden plunge into depression, had taken its toll on her body (having only sipped a mouthful of Zack’s smoothie).  Yet something else had sapped her strength… her concentration.  Although, adrenalized by her fear, she was sluggish and lightheaded.  “Get out,” she added in a barely audible whisper.

Jason said nothing, but continued watching her with a hunter’s ecstasy behind his eyes.

Yet it was more than those eyes that made Trini recoil.  Trini could not describe or identify what it was, but cringed nevertheless.  Snapping her head away from him, she clamped her eyes shut while burying her face into her pillow.  All the while, she felt the continuous presence of Jason’s eyes on the back of her head, raking her scalp with talons, though her hair never moved.  Over and over, she beseeched Jason’s eyes and the malevolent presence wafting forth from them to go away.

 _Open your eyes, Trini,_ Jason commanded softly and firmly.  _Look at me._

And surprisingly, she did so, unwillingly lifting her head around.  She gazed into his brown—dazzlingly dark brown with darkness behind them—eyes.

Jason narrowed his eyelids and eyebrows into an expression of stony seriousness while meeting her gaze.  _I am real and I’m here._

“I don’t believe you,” Trini attempted to spat.  It was difficult to keep her thoughts streaming together.

Smirking, Jason stepped forward.

Trini recoiled with a gasp, locking her elbows.  _Don’t come near me!_ she gasped, her eyelids shooting into her sockets.  “Keep away from me!”

Jason merely continued drifting toward her, finally sitting by her right hand side.

“Does a hallucination feel like this?” he asked, brushing two fingers down her cheek.

Instantly, Trini heaved in convulsions as a muffled scream fought to pierce her mouth.  Only a chain of vocal shudders escaped from her throat.

Trini cringed at the continuous touch of the back of Jason’s hand upon her cheek.  Bile rose in her mouth as he kissed her forehead.

* * *

Outside, Sean shook his head in disgust.  He was in half a mind to electrocute Jason, but he forced himself to remain where he was, continuing his surveillance.  _Remember the mission,_ he repeated to himself for the sixth time.  And he did.

* * *

Jason drifted his hand over Trini’s body.  _Let’s get rid of those clothes,_ he said as rays of red energy from his palm teleported her clothes to a far corner in the room in the form of painless flames.  Trini gasped sharply.  _You won’t need them for this,_ he added, crawling over her.

Trini shuddered as Jason crushed her body with his own.  She almost could not breathe.  Jason intensified her misery by kissing and sucking her neck as he groped the back of her head with one hand and traced her side with his other.

 _Get off!  Get off!_ she moaned.

Jason shook his head as he caressed and sucked her chest, holding her legs down with his own. He knew she did not have the strength to push him off.  He heard her thoughts of terror and disgust, but it only elongated his joy even more.

Trini gasped as she felt it harden and stiffen along her thigh.  She shivered as Jason slithered it over her stomach.  Her breath quickened but she could not move, though her heartbeat was sprinting.  _Please, get off me!_ she implored.

Instead, Jason bent his head over hers, and kissed her as tenderly on the lips as he had the first night of their honeymoon.  Then he stuck his tongue in her mouth.

_Please!_

And to her horror, Jason pushed her legs apart with his knees.  She could not summon the strength to stop him.

 _Stop!_  Her face was two seconds from breaking.

Jason backed his upper body away, cupped her but with his hands, and began kissing her between her legs. 

Trini squeezed her eyes.  Desperately, she wanted to thrash at Jason but her body still refused to move despite her continuous commands.

He broke off, seized the back of her head, and immediately pulled her into an aggressive French kiss where she squirmed and wailed within the jail of her body.

 _Jason, STOP!_ she wailed in pain, voicelessly mouthing her thoughts.  _Help!_

 _Only I can hear you,_ Jason said, pulling a few inches apart from her.  _And I don’t wanna stop,_ he added, grinning maliciously.  Even through the gloom, Trini saw his sparkling, white teeth.  Trini gawked and shuddered at the ecstatic leer on Jason’s face.  With that, he slammed her head back on the pillow, pinning it down.

Trini eyed him with a shaky eye.  _Is this what you are?_  She looked as though she was twelve seconds from tears.

Jason looked her in the eye.  To her horror, Jason’s leer stretched into a malicious grin, his face now ravenous, rapacious, and savage.  No longer was she looking at a human.  It was the most horrible thing she had ever seen in her life.  As if just witnessing the skin melting off Jason’s face, she slammed her eyelids shut with all of her might.

Jason’s grin widened.  Through their mental link, he saw how much his face terrified her.  Without waiting for her to block it out, he plunged himself deep inside her.

Trini’s face exploded open in muted shrieks.

 _No!  Get out!  Get out!  Get out!_ Trini screamed in her thoughts, lashing her head from side to side.

Jason responded by thrusting his hips back and forth, ravishing in the terror, horror, and pain Trini was in.  It increased his ecstasy—more than it had ever been… and he loved it!  His manhood swelled and lengthened even more, making it even harder for Trini to hold it; but Jason did not care.  He had wanted this for far too long.

She had had her era of peace.  Now it was time for him to shatter it.  Fueled with a heated desire, passion, and drive, he broke further through, raking her insides faster and faster as his hands dug into her chest, cracking her ribs as his Muiranthian strength surfaced.  His breath came in grunted snarls.

All the while, Trini’s pleas and protests reported and echoed in his mind.

Her panic swelled, overwhelming her fear.  She felt as though her pelvis was about to shatter underneath Jason’s barrages.  She had to get away; she had to fight!  In desperation—without even thinking of it—she beat Jason in the chest with her fists repeatedly.

But it was all in vain.  Jason’s skin, though soft to the touch, was as impenetrable as a golem’s.  And his drive was just as impervious.  Nothing short of his triumphant satisfaction of completion would end it.

Trini could do nothing to stop it.

Nevertheless, she dug her hands into Jason’s majestic shoulders, shoving with all her might to heave Jason out of her.  To her dissatisfaction, Jason rammed her harder and harder, bulldozing through her foolish and feeble protests.

 _Stop!_   “Jason, get out!” she finally wailed, finding the strength to speak at last.

Yet Jason was far too lost in his ecstasy to listen to her.

 _Yes.  Yes!  YES!!_ he roared, stretching his torso and arms to the heavens with an exhalation of a sigh mixed with a laugh.  He closed his eyes, his smile stretching almost beyond his cheekbones.

At the same moment, Jason’s orgasm exploded within her, blasting through her core straight to the top of her head, her hair sizzling with energy.  Her insides shattered.  She screamed; screamed from the very depths of her soul and heart, tears gushing from her eyes.  She screamed so loudly and with such force that it felt as if she had blasted a hole through the top of her forehead.

Elated further, Jason roared, echoing his sire, Maligore.  Harmony bonded them for a second.  Then dissonance tore them apart as his roar dwarfed her scream.

Whimpering, she shuddered.

* * *

Toppling over into the semi dry mud, Sean writhed and quaked as wave upon wave of Trini’s supreme agony hit him.  Sean seized his sides, trying to calm his seizure-like attack, but nothing helped.  He writhed on the ground like a helpless boy in shock for several more seconds.  Sean squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to block out the sheer pain of Trini’s shrieking wail.

Calling it a scream would have been ludicrous, for it transcended a scream in pitch, depth, and decibel.  And the emotion behind it shattered his mental concentration.  Sean had not heard that sound for many years, and it tore his insides to hear it again.  He felt as though he should be screaming with her also.

For several minutes, he forgot who he was: his name, his life, his powers, all of his identity was obliterated from him in those moments of unimaginative torture.

 _I’m so sorry, Trini,_ he thought as the seizure lessened, his body still twitching; a tear tracing his cheek. _I’m so sorry._


	9. Kimberly's Courage

Kimberly gasped with a start as her eyelids snapped open, convulsions shooting up and down her body as if a winter gust had blown over and through her.  Instantly, she tightened her hold on her sheets and blankets, tugging them up to her jaw line.  Sticky sweat trailed from her forehead down past her neck, gluing her pajamas to her skin, but she did not lift her hand to wipe off the sweat from her face.  Instead, she lay there curled on her side in a fetal position in her queen sized sleigh bed, dazed by shock, confusion… and terror.

A faint, remote fear grazed the hairs on the back of her neck, ever so slightly yet rough, as if the very air behind her had sprouted intangible, sharp fingernails, gently scraping the tops of the hairs on the back of her neck.  The very sensation made her squirm.  Yet she still did not look behind her, terrified at the phantom lurking beyond her gaze.

For a brief moment she did not remember where she was.

At first, darkness danced in front of her eyes in a haze among diluted reds and blues.

 _What’s going on?_ she panicked, darting her eyes everywhere in front of here.  “I can’t see anything!”

Within half a moment however, the masses of red shrank into focus as the red digital numbers displayed on her alarm/radio clock came into view upon her bedside table.

 _3:24am?_ Kimberly thought as she read the display.  “What?” she breathed; her voice quivering as she shivered again.  Wonder swung within her.  It was not like her to wake up with a jolt in the middle of the night, let alone soaked in a cold sweat.

 _What am I doing up—why am I shivering_? _It’s warm._   Her thoughts echoed and overlapped in her mind.  _Is the window— did I leave one open?_

Still trembling, she craned her neck, but both sets of windows in her bedroom were closed just like she had checked before turning in earlier that night.  Not just that, but the room was completely deserted of people.

“Weird,” she whispered, her voice steadier but not quite normal.  “Okay, get a hold of yourself, Kim.”

She sighed heavily.  Not shivering as much now, she sat up, hugging her covers to her chest.  The touch of them upon her skin gave her the illusion of comfort.  Kimberly felt the source of her terror in the back of her mind, elusive and distant.  Though she had never really experienced a night terror, Kimberly was fairly certain that she had just dreamt one.  What scared her more was that she could not recall any of the details of it.

“Maybe it’s better that way,” she mused.

Absentmindedly running her index finger along the underside of her bare left ring finger, she swept her eyes around the entire room only to find again that no one else was with her or that anything was out of place.

 _That’s odd,_ she thought.  _I could have sworn…_

She then rested her gaze upon her left hand.  Her eyes drooped at the sight of her naked hand.  “I miss you,” she murmured, thinking of her husband Jake who was off on a weeklong business trip.  She drifted her gaze up, resting it upon a tiny prized and personal object in front of the alarm clock:  her wedding ring, a thin silver band hosting a square diamond upon it.  She reached over, grasped it, and held it in front of her.  “But then it’s probably good that you are out of town so you don’t see me freak out over a bad dream I can’t even remember.”  _It’s nothing,_ she thought.

Kimberly had grown into a stronger, more confident and independent woman during the past decade, more than when she was a power ranger, due to her training for the Pan Global Games and moving forward with her life beyond that.

Nevertheless, she could not deny that she wanted Jake to hold her in his arms, to offer assurance in her time of agony.  The fact that she would have to keep all of this a secret from him was maddening.  Jake was one of the kindest individuals she had ever met and would offer his help in any way he could.  That was what had first attracted Kimberly to him:  his humanity.  Unfortunately, due to Zordon’s three rules and her promise to uphold them, she could not tell Jake anything.

_Then I guess it’s a good thing that you’re gone for—_

Just then, a frosty shiver erupted and rippled from her core thru her fingertips, hair, and toes.  She buckled forward, her breath heaving.

_What the—?_

No matter how many times she tried to calm down, Kimberly’s skin continued to crawl and refused to stop shuddering.

“Trini!”

The thought jumped into her mind out of the blue.  And she went with it.

Kimberly did not waste time wondering how she knew the information.  All she needed to know was that Trini was in danger.

Snatching up her morpher from underneath her pillow, she launched out of her bedroom and down the hall toward the stairs without a single thought of putting on her robe.

* * *

Shivers rippled across Sean’s cheeks and neck as he dug himself out of the moist dirt.  Groaning, he dipped and swayed his head, drops of rain dripping from his hair and nose.  Throbbing tore through his cranium, spilling into brow, eyes and cheek as if an adult gorilla had pummeled him with a Viking’s hammer.

However, he shook his head.  Now was not the time to be down.  His duty had not abated; and, in order to accomplish it, he had to be vigilant, not comatose.

* * *

Trini trembled, stained with horror and disbelief.  Jason materialized at her side, fully clothed in black—his hand resting upon her cheek.  Kneeling down, he kissed her lips.  _I released your mind,_ he said, pulling away from her, _but I never released_ you!  His mental voice was cold and savage.

 _Stop talking!_ she whimpered, her voice trembling.

“Does it scare you?” he asked innocently, as if he had just inquired if his shirt had a stain.  “It shouldn’t.”  _During our honeymoon_ , y _ou said it was sensual._

Trini flinched, tossing her head to the side and curling her body into a fetal position away from Jason.

_So why are you scared now?_

She stretched her mouth open almost to the point of dislocation but no sound came out.  Yet in her mind, she was screaming louder than she had in her life.  And all the while, Jason’s smile grew as he watched her with triumphant eyes.  A chuckle rumbled in his throat which grew into a booming laugh.

Trini clamped her hands over her ears, shaking her head in a vain attempt to block out the evil laughter.  Though her hands muffled the sound, she heard it clearly in her head.  _Stop it!_ she pleaded.   _Stop!_ Finally, panic overriding her fear, she mustered the courage and bellowed, “Please, stop!”

Jason leaned over the edge of the bed.  “Why?” he whispered above her right ear with confidence.  “You wanted to know the truth…”  He glared at her.  “ _This_ is the truth!”

Trini shook her head.  “You’re not my husband!” she gasped.

Jason lifted his eyebrows.  “Really?” he asked.  Chuckling, he raised his left hand.  “Then what’s this?”

Trini buried her face into her pillow.

“Look at my hand,” Jason commanded.  “You already know what’s on it.”

“No!” she whined in a whisper.

“Look at me,” Jason said, pouring his power into her mind.

Without wanting to, Trini spun around, raising herself on her elbows.  Her eyelids shot into her skull when she saw the yin designed ring wrapped around Jason’s left ring finger.

“This is wrong!” Trini raved.  “It’s not right.  Why isn’t this right?” she added, speaking to no one particular.

“You’ve been living in a dream, Trini,” Jason said, his eyes clutching her face intensely, “One I made for you.”  He flicked and pointed his right index finger at her chest, releasing her face.  Trini fell backward as if hit by a sandbag.  “And it’s time you remember what I used to be and discover what I am now.”

* * *

Meanwhile, down the hall in the living room, Zack began to stir on the couch upon hearing Jason’s laughter.  “What is that?” he murmured with closed eyes.  “Is that Jason?”  Suddenly, Trini’s bellow rang in his ear.  “Wait a minute—that’s Trini!  Oh, shit!”  With that he bounded towards the guest bedroom door, seized the door handle, and twisted his wrist.  To his dissatisfaction, the door handle refused to turn.  “Come on!” he snarled in frustration, smacking the door with his other hand.  “Trini!  Open the door!  Are you alright?”

In the bedroom, Jason glanced at the door.  Sniggering, he turned back to Trini, surveying her with menacing eyes.  “Understand?” he asked.

Trini quivered at her husband’s gaze. 

Smiling, he swept toward her side.

Outside, Kimberly sprinted down the hallway.  “Zack!” she called.  “What’s going on?”

“I heard Jason laughing inside there, and then Trini wailed something; I can’t get the door opened!”

“WHAT?” Kimberly shouted and began banging on the door.  “Trini?  Are you alright?  Trini, answer me!”

* * *

On the other side of it, Jason smirked, keeping the black triumph burning in his eyes as he stared relentlessly at his fallen prey.  It did not matter that Kimberly, Zack, and Sean were trying to rescue Trini; he had accomplished what he had wanted to do for almost six years.  This had been his plan from the beginning—once he had turned completely evil—was to shatter the core of the rangers:  their hearts.  By traumatizing Trini and Tommy, he had spread ripples of discord throughout the power ranger team, making them easy prey for his attacks.  Even now, sensing the friction within his former friends, he swelled with elation.  Even Sean was weak— _weaker than he should be._

_Interesting…_

* * *

“Don’t you have a key?” Zack exclaimed as Kimberly shook the door handle so violently, he thought she was going to rip it out of the door.

“No; and we don’t have time to look for one!” Kimberly declared in a strong voice, stepping back.  “We need to teleport in there!”

“I don’t have my morpher,” Zack gasped, having just reached behind his back.

“Go get it,” Kimberly ordered.  “I’ll hold him off!”

Zack shot her an objecting look, but before he could say anything, Kimberly spoke.  “I know what I’m doing; I can handle him.”

“But Kim, we don’t even know what he’s capable of—” Zack argued.

“He and I were both on Muiranthius!” Kimberly overlapped with a snap.  “Trust me.  Now get moving!”

 _Kimberly, you only know a fraction of what I can do,_ Jason thought to himself with a smirk.

Baffled by the confidence in Kimberly’s face and voice, Zack jogged down the hallway toward his duffle bag.  He was not sure if Kimberly was being courageous or moronic.  He hoped it was the former.

Kimberly faced the door, taking deep slow breaths.  “Hold on, Trini,” she said.  _I just need to hold him off for a few minutes.  One.   Two.  Three._

Instantly she dematerialized into crackling static pink energy, but instead of shooting upward through her ceiling, her newly energized body stretched forward horizontally into a pink conduit, phasing through the door.  Her column stretched out both ways vertically once she had past the threshold of the door.

“Congratulations,” Jason said, crossing to a corner at the foot of the bed.  “It took me almost three days to learn how to teleport.”

“Get the hell out of my house!” Kimberly snarled, clutching her morpher behind her back.

“Kimberly, put your morpher down,” Jason said.  “You can’t beat me now.”

“And how would you know that?” Kimberly asked, recovering herself quickly.

“Because you’ve felt part of the power that’s in me…” he began.  He turned, staring her down while advancing toward her, “On Muiranthius after we were sacrificed.”

“I remember, but I’m not like you,” she declared, squeezing her morpher.  “I’m a Power Ranger—something you forgot!”

Jason chuckled in response.  “I didn’t forget,” he said simply, drifting his hand toward her shoulder.  “How could I?”  He added, resting his hand upon her shoulder.

Kimberly lost her composure for a second but grabbed it again.  “It doesn’t matter; you turned your back on what we stood for!”

“Did I?  You sure about that?”

“You make me sick!” She slapped his arm away.  “CRANE NINJETTI POWER!” Kimberly shouted in strength, her eyes blazing with courage.  Instantly, waves of vibrant pink energy and beams of light shot out from her core and power coin, swirling around as they solidified into her Power Ranger outfit.  “Now for the last time:  get _out_ of my _house_!”

“No!” Jason hissed, launching three simultaneous mini-fireballs from his palm like a cannon at her chest.  She stumbled backward in a flurry of exploding sparks back towards the door, grabbing the doorframe for support, digging her feet into the ground.

“Is that… all you’ve got… Jason?” Kimberly demanded, in a breathy, but still powerful voice.  The attack had winded her a bit.  “You fought harder as a Power Ranger, or have you forgotten? 

“I don’t have amnesia, Kimberly,” Jason said, striding towards her. 

“I’m not… going anywhere!” she added as she pushed herself into a battle stance.

Before Kimberly could react, Jason seized the base of her helmet and slammed her head through the nearby dresser into the floor, cracking her helmet.

Pain flooded into Kimberly’s head, numbing the rest of her body.  She could not think.  It hurt to open her eyes.  The pain choked her senses, suffocating her.

“Stay… down!” Jason hissed.

* * *

Outside, Sean suppressed a shudder at Jason’s violence upon Kimberly.  Using his remote viewing, he saw Jason towering over Kimberly.  Focusing on the negative space surrounding Jason’s body, Sean funneled the rest of his ESP into his remote viewing, inspecting the shape, texture, and colors of Jason’s aura.  It was as black as midnight during a new moon in late December, with under layers of deepest, and clearest red.  Unsurprising, Sean noted that Jason’s aura was nine feet in diameter.

Immediately, he shot his gaze to Trini.  She was panting almost to the point of hyperventilating with her heart was about to punch out of her chest.  But what grieved Sean under the surface was that drops of blood were leaking from her uterus.

 _I am so sorry you experienced this,_ he thought to himself.  However, now was not the time for remorse.  He had a job to do.

Digging into his pocket, he withdrew a metallic silver watch-like bracelet from it.  It was almost the same as Zordon’s teams’ communicators except the outer circumference of the “face” was lined with eight transparent buttons, with tiny lights underneath each one.  Without looking at it, he pressed a specific button with his thumb.  It glowed blue.

* * *

Billy was sleeping somewhat comfortably, when he heard a familiar six beep tune he had designed twelve years ago.  Blinking his eyes with a slight moan, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an identical communicator.  Seeing Sean’s button flashing, he pressed it.  “Yes, Sean?” Billy said with a hint of a sigh, while running a hand through his hair.  Waking up for the second time in one night did nothing to help his mode.  However, he suppressed as much of it as he could.

 _“Billy,”_ Sean’s voice breathed thru the speaker.

At once, Billy’s eyes shot wide open, all fatigue forgotten.  Though he had known Sean for the past eight and a half years, he had never heard Sean speak like this.  His voice was drained, long winded, and strained.

“What’s wrong?” Billy asked.  “What’s going on?”

 _“Jason just raped Trini, and is about to kidnap her,”_ Sean reported.  _“You must intervene!”_

However Billy did not hear Sean’s last statement.  His brain had frozen upon hearing the words, “raped Trini.”  For several seconds he sat there dumbfounded.  _Did I just hear that?_ he thought.  _Tell me I did not just hear that!_

 _“Billy!”_ Sean yelled, his voice clearly straining under the effort.

At once, Billy was torn from his thoughts.

“Yes, what else did you say?” Billy stammered.

 _“Jason is about to kidnap Trini,”_ Sean repeated.  _“I am too weak to face him again.  Therefore,_ you _must!”_

Billy hesitated for two seconds, and then recovered.  “I will do what I can,” Billy said in a strong voice with faint echoes of anxiety.  He removed his finger from his communicator and reached for his morpher in the back of his belt.

“Would you like some help?” Tommy asked from the hallway, before Billy could utter a simple thought to what he was just about to do.

Billy spun his head around.  “Yes, I would,” he said.

“Then let’s do it,” Tommy said, lifting his morpher.

* * *

Sean’s thumb slid off his communicator as he slumped back onto the damp wall.  “Thank you…” he said in voice indistinguishable from his breath, forcing his eyes to remain open.  _I have to keep it together,_ he thought.  _Stay focused… maintain balance._

He breathed in deeply, gathering his exhaustion into his lungs, and then exhaling it along with his breath.  He repeated this four more times.  As the semi-clarity washed over his mind, he felt Kimberly, assessing her injuries.  She was alive.  Sean sighed with relief.  However, as soon as he discovered this, he thought of something else.

 _Where is Zack?_ he thought as he psychically hunted for the new Silver Ranger.

_Not in the room… so he is outside… down the hallway… in the living room—There!_

Zack was feverishly rifling through his duffle bag, cursing and muttering under his breath.

 _What are you looking for Zack?_ Sean asked himself.  And the solution came to him:  his morpher!

After Trini had gone to bed, Zack had placed his morpher in his luggage, still indecisive on to whether he wanted to be a power ranger.

Unfortunately, just as Sean surmised what Zack was looking for, Zack had found it and was lifting it in front of his chest, about to cry out, “It’s morphin’ time”.

“No!” Sean exhaled.  Out of all of the dangers this day had brought to him and the others, Zack morphing was second only to Jason’s power.

* * *

 _Zack!_ Sean screamed into the silver ranger’s mind.

“Whoa!” Zack exclaimed, rebounding into the sofa, and falling off the edge to the floor.  Recovering his footing, he darted his awestruck face in all directions.  “Sean, was that you?” he added, still panicky.  Having a telepath shouting in one’s mind when that person was not expecting it was, to say the least, a bit disturbing.  And there was also the fact that Zack had not known Sean was a telepath.

 _Yes,_ Sean replied softer but still keeping his sense of urgency.

“Wow, this is new,” Zack sighed, trying to recover his thoughts.  “I didn’t think this was possible.”

_I can imagine.  Listen, you must not morph to fight Jason._

“What!” Zack exclaimed, outraged more than confused.  “Kimberly and Trini are inside there with that psycho and you want me to not help them!?  What kind of power ranger are you?”

 _A wiser one than you are right now,_ Sean replied.  Though stung by Zack’s accusations, Sean masked his hurt perfectly.

Unconvinced, Zack snorted.  “Why should I trust you?” he asked with a snarl behind his voice.

 _There is no time to convince you,_ Sean continued.  _Billy is on the way—I believe bringing reinforcements.  Trust him as you once did.  Let him deal with this._

“He’ll need help,” Zack protested.

 _This is what I trained Billy for the past eight and a half years for,_ Sean said, his mental voice growing in strength and foundation.  _He is more capable than you are to handle this._

“That’s not going to stop me from helping,” Zack muttered storming out the room.

_Trini could die if you go in there, Zack._

With that final statement, Zack halted.

“What!” Zack spat.  “What did you just say?”

 _You heard me… I need your help… more than she does._   Sean’s voice began to weaken.

“Sean?” Zack asked.  “What...?”

_I am outside … the …guest bedroom window…  Please, help me…_

“Sean, are you alright?  Say something!”

_Don’t… fight… Jas—_

“Hello?” Zack asked, waiting to hear something.  “Are you there?”

And the faintest of whispers drifted to his mind in response.  _Za—_

Immediately, Zack bolted out of the room.

* * *

Jason strutted towards Trini, his hand floating toward hers.  Trini recoiled, shuddering with stretched open eyes at the smile on her husband’s face.

“How’s that empathy of yours?” he whispered, lowering his hand.

“Don’t touch her!” growled a female voice from behind.

Jason turned his head.  Kimberly staggered to her feet, grasping the doorframe for support.

“Lie down, Kim,” Jason said.  “Lie down.”

“Nnnno!” she stuttered, her wound throbbing more as her vision spun.

“Kim, you can barely stand—”

“Don’t… call me that!” she spat, glaring serrated daggers at the supreme Monarch of Evil.  “I—won’t—let you—take her!”

Jason sighed, impressed, but slightly annoyed, though he didn’t show it.  In the time it took one to blink, Jason summoned and hurled a fireball twice the size of a bowling ball at Kimberly.

Kimberly threw up her arms defiantly to shield her face.  She screamed as the force from the fireball hurled her through the door, crashing onto the hardwood hallway floor, still morphed.

For a few moments, Jason stared at her, his eyebrows raised in amazement.

Just then, two pairs of multicolored energy columns descended into the room.

Torn from his thoughts, Jason masked them with a smirk as the columns materialized into Billy, Tommy, Rocky, and Adam.  Jason addressed each one of them in turn.

“Out of eight rangers only five come to help,” Jason smirked.  “Imagine what would have happened if I had sent down a real attack.”

“As if a rape wasn’t a real attack?” Rocky retorted.

“This wasn’t an attack,” Jason added, meeting glances with Rocky.  With an enormous grin on his face, Jason evaporated into a bonfire of flames, leaving the others in a state of baffled confusion.

“Get back here, coward!” Rocky yelled.

Only silence responded in its irony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Episode III picks up at this point. Click on it to see what happens next.


End file.
